Ilja Dragunov has joined All Elite Wrestling.
Last night at WrestleDream, the Russian wrestler made his debut with the American company. He was warmly welcomed by the Orlando crowd on October 17, 2026, and shared a moment with the fans before departing. For several days, AEW had been airing intriguing vignettes: fans quickly guessed that they were about Ilja Dragunov.
As symbolic as it may be, Ilja had also made his return from injury on October 17 of last year, on SmackDown, to answer Sami Zayn’s open challenge. He captured the United States Championship that night and defended it for over two months in incredible matches, before gradually fading from memory, and thus leaving WWE.
What lies ahead for the Mad Dragon in AEW? The 33-year-old wrestler will compete on Dynamite in three days, on October 21.
